'Deserving' Navy set for Women's NIT

Navy's Sarita Condie looks to pass the ball against Bucknell during the first half of the Patriot League championship game in Lewisburg, Pa., Sunday.

Navy's Sarita Condie looks to pass the ball against Bucknell during the first half of the Patriot League championship game in Lewisburg, Pa., Sunday. (Chris Knight/AP)

Adam Zielonkaazielonka@baltsun.com

The Navy women's basketball team lost an overtime heartbreaker to Bucknell last Sunday in the Patriot League championship game. Thanks to the postseason Women's National Invitational Tournament, the Mids aren't closing the book on their season yet.

As the best team in their conference not selected for the NCAA Tournament, the Mids earned an automatic berth into the WNIT, a 64-team national tournament. They will play their opening round game against George Washington at their court in Washington Friday at 7 p.m.

This is the first postseason berth for Navy (23-9) since 2014, when it appeared in the WNIT for the first time and lost a first-round game at Old Dominion. Before that, head coach Stefanie Pemper led the Mids to the NCAA Tournament in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Two of the team's three seniors, Sarita Condie and Ashanti Kennedy, were on the team that made the 2014 WNIT.

Though the team fell just short of its goal of winning the conference and making the NCAA Tournament, Pemper and her players are anticipating the experience of the WNIT.

"It means everything, honestly," Pemper said. "(Postseason is) what we play for. For them to get to experience it is really special and they're very deserving."

The Mids' Patriot League tournament was an adventure. First, Condie nailed a last-second 3-pointer in the semifinals to help Navy beat Army, 54-53. In the championship against top-seeded Bucknell, it was Kennedy's turn for some heroics, as she sank a three with 7.5 seconds in regulation that forced overtime. But the Bison controlled the extra period and won, 79-71.

"Before the (Bucknell) game, I had said to the team to be ready to play five quarters instead of four," Pemper said. "I thought that it could go extra time, and it was kind of an attitude that you've gotta be ready for that."

Pemper said it was helpful that the game took place midday rather than at night. The team left Lewisburg, Pennsylvania at 2 p.m. and got home around 5:30, with daylight still shining. She gave her team Monday off.

"I think a lot of people were probably just pretty somber on Monday," Pemper said. "It kind of takes time to grieve, if you will, after something like that."

The Midshipmen gave her that, but it still wasn't enough as Bucknell won, 79-71, in overtime.

"I don't...

LEWISBURG, Pa. — Navy coach Stefanie Pemper said she thought it would take her team's best game of the season to defeat Bucknell in the Patriot League women's basketball tournament final Sunday.

The Midshipmen gave her that, but it still wasn't enough as Bucknell won, 79-71, in overtime.

"I don't...

(Kurt Ritzman)

Then the team practiced Tuesday, and Condie said everyone was focused on bringing the program its first win in a postseason tournament game.

"It was a great practice," Condie said. "There was a lot of energy, and it just seemed like everyone was really focused and determined to try to make a run for the end of this week."

George Washington (20-9) is the automatic WNIT qualifier from the Atlantic 10 Conference as the conference runner-up. The Colonials have an RPI (ratings percentage index) of 54, the ninth-best mark in the WNIT field. But Navy was competitive in just about every game during the regular season — of the team's nine losses, eight came by 10 points or fewer.

Condie pointed out her team is familiar with the Colonials' top scorer, Lexi Martins, a forward who played for Patriot League foe Lehigh. Martins graduated early and is finishing out her eligibility as a graduate student at George Washington.

Because the Mids know they played a good team game against Bucknell, they need to apply the energy and focus from that night when they play George Washington, Condie said.

"Maybe not thinking about the past or about the loss, but really staying focused and trusting our roles that we have within the team. I think that's going to be important," she said.

Whatever the outcome Friday, Pemper believes it was an "incredible" season given the team's challenges of having a roster of only 11 players most of the year and no player over six feet tall.

Condie called her senior season "really special."

"Before even the championship game, I said that this is a team and a season that I'll always remember and just be really appreciative that I was a part of it," Condie said. "To have the opportunity to continue to play even after losing a championship game, which a lot of teams in the country don't get to do, is really cool. We just really appreciate that we get another opportunity to suit up together."

If the Mids win Friday, they will face the winner of Rider at Virginia Tech in Round 2.